There is growing concern globally about the growing threats posed by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in news production and disinformation, according to an industry report.
The study is conducted annually by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. digital news report We survey the views and perspectives of nearly 100,000 people across 47 countries.
The report highlights the challenges facing news organizations due to AI and the need for effective solutions to engage the public, maintain trust, and stay in business.
One of the survey results was that while more than half of U.S. participants and 63% of U.K. participants (surveyed 2,000 people in each country) said they would be uncomfortable with news primarily produced by AI, there was less resistance to it. Using new technologies to support journalists’ behind-the-scenes work.
“It was surprising to see the level of doubt” about the impact of AI, said Nic Newman, a senior fellow at the Reuters Institute and lead author of the digital news study. “People were generally afraid of what would happen to their content.” He said. Reliability and trust”.
These two factors are very important to news publishers. Without this element, any organization will struggle to maintain the audience base it needs unless it pursues a different agenda.
Must leverage and engage contemporary audiences
Many traditional news companies are increasingly reliant on subscribers under pressure from advertising revenues, but the report found that only 17% of respondents in 20 countries paid for online news, a figure that has remained unchanged over the past three years.
One reason for this is the alternative news platforms provided by social media giants such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. That particular app continues to face unique challenges in the United States.
A digital news study found that these news influencers are playing a more visible role than mainstream media outlets, with more than 5,600 TikTok users confirming that they use the video hosting app for news. 57% implied that they consulted a person’s personality for information, while 34% primarily engaged journalists or media organizations.
Newman added that newsrooms must build relationships with modern audiences, “using platforms strategically to connect with hard-to-reach populations, such as younger audiences.” media) platform.”
In an evolving and heterogeneous modern media landscape, the 2024 report overview takes a closer look at the “platform reset” presented by the social giants. We examined the scale and impact of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube to determine why consumers are increasingly opting for visual content, and to find out which mainstream and alternative channels and individuals are getting the most attention for their news output.
The poll returned information about a market that is becoming more fragmented, with six media networks reaching at least 10% of study respondents, compared to just two media networks a decade ago.
YouTube is used for news by 31% of the global sample each week, followed by WhatsApp at 21% and TikTok at 13%, surpassing Twitter/X (10%) for the first time.
Image source: Ideogram
